“Life is like a piano. What you get out of it depends on how you play it.” – Tom Lehrer
Sometimes Parkinson’s gets in the way of doing the things you love.
It may take some of your mobility away, making certain activities more difficult than they used to be. It may rob you of your fine motor skills, causing you to get more frustrated and lose patience with what once were simple tasks. For some, as the disease progresses, there may be some hobbies or activities you can no longer do.
But here’s the thing: we all have a choice in how we respond to Parkinson’s.
Whether it be playing your favorite instrument, puttering around in a garden, playing a round of golf, painting a landscape, or knitting your grandchild a sweater, it’s vital you not let Parkinson’s wedge itself between you and the things you love.
Yes, you will have to learn to adapt or find new things that bring you joy; the important thing is that you don’t give up.
In my mom’s case, her two favorite hobbies were knitting and playing the piano. For all my life, Mom was either making music on the piano or knitting her kids and grandkids cozy sweaters, hats, or mittens. It brought her such joy not just to knit, but to give her projects away to her loved ones.
As Mom reached the mid-stages of PD, knitting became more challenging. She tried to keep to simple patterns, but as she moved into the late stages, both PD and early dementia made this hobby too difficult to continue.
Fortunately, Mom maintained her love for making music on the piano even as her Parkinson’s symptoms progressed and dementia began to creep in. When she moved into a nursing home, we bought a portable keyboard that she could play in her room. There was a beautiful grand piano in the nursing home’s lounge and an organ in the library as well, so no matter where she was, she could make her music.
I clearly remember the day I took the picture from this post, as it was the last time I heard Mom play. The music wasn’t anything recognizable as the notes were all over the place. It reminded me of what I might have sounded like when I was a youngster learning to play. But even though Mom’s dementia had robbed her of the ability to play all the songs she once knew, she still moved expressively as she played those notes, oblivious to the uneven sounds she was creating.
Simply the act of playing the piano brought her joy.
It was a moment I will never forget, and served as a lesson for me to take with me through life: Don’t give up on pursuing the things that make you happy. And most importantly, never mind what anyone else might think or say about it.
Mom’s love for making music never waned. Over her lifetime, the piano gave her happiness and peace, and I’m so glad she never allowed anything–not Parkinson’s or dementia–to get in the way of that.
-Lianna Marie